Hope people always talk about my work, not looks: Bhumi Pednekar

Mumbai: A National Award for 'Dum Laga Ke Haisha' has left Bhumi Pednekar rejoicing. The actress, who made an unconventional debut as an overweight woman and was widely lauded for her performance, hopes people's focus always remains on her acting skills rather than on how she looks.

Bhumi had gained around 30 kg for her role in the Ayushmann Khurrana starrer, but post the film, she was back to her slim and trim avatar.

She also feels that the fact that 'Dum Laga Ke Haisha' has been appreciated with the Best Hindi Film honour at the 63rd National Film Awards is a reminder of how commercial cinema is riding high on quality content.

"Last year has been so brilliant for me, and it has been a clean sweep as far as awards are concerned. The icing on the cake has been the National Award, so I can say that it has been a great year for me," Bhumi told media here.

Bhumi says her debut film was a "small little underdog film" from Yash Raj Films, one of India's biggest movie production banners, but the audience enjoyed it.

"However, I didn't ever realise that the film will become as big as it has. I think it's all our hard work," she added of the Sharat Katariya directorial, which was set in the 1990s in Haridwar.

As for her future projects, Bhumi is looking forward to 'Manmarziyan' with Ayushmann. "We have finished the first schedule of the film, and will start the second schedule in July. I am extremely excited and hope that we put in the same amount of hard work and honesty to recreate the same magic again," she said, adding that the film's second schedule will happen in Chandigarh.